Rams receiver Pharoh Cooper Cooper, at age 22 and entering his second season, is someone being looked upon for leadership. He has the makeup to handle it, and the Rams hope he has the on-field skills to handle a bigger role in 2017. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz/SCNG, file)

IRVINE >> Only on this team, in this situation, could Pharoh Cooper be considered a veteran.

Cooper is in his second NFL training camp and has caught 14 passses in regular-season games. Among the 12 receivers on the field for the Rams at UC Irvine on Thursday, only one other guy could say that.

So, Cooper, at age 22 and entering his second season, is someone being looked upon for leadership. He has the makeup to handle it, and the Rams hope he has the on-field skills to handle a bigger role in 2017, and perhaps (in the short term) fill the spot vacated by Tavon Austin.

“I’m just kind of embracing the role of being a vet, as you say, with all the rookies coming in,” Cooper said. “I’m trying to help them learn what I experienced last year, all the little tools I can give them. I’m not the top receiver in the game right now, but there are little things I’ve learned that they can add to their game. So it’s fun.”

It’s an odd camp for the Rams at receiver. Last year’s top two targets, Kenny Britt and Brian Quick, left via free agency during the offseason, and Austin hardly has been on the field at all since January, because of an offseason thumb injury and a hamstring injury suffered early in camp.

Robert Woods, imported via free agency from Buffalo, has become the de facto “old guy,” at age 25 and with 203 career catches. Then there’s Cooper, a 2016 fourth-round pick out of South Carolina who had 14 catches for 106 yards last season.

Beyond that, the Rams are extremely young and inexperienced. Cooper Kupp, this year’s third-round draft pick, is expected to start, and the Rams have a cluster of first- and second-year players (Mike Thomas, Nelson Spruce, Paul McRoberts, Shakeir Ryan) with little or no NFL experience.

That’s why Cooper’s progress is so important to the Rams. With Austin out (and with no indication when he might return to the practice field), Cooper has been lining up on the outside as one of the Rams’ primary deep threats for quarterback Jared Goff.

But Cooper, listed at 5-foot-11, 207 pounds, also can play in the slot, and the Rams also intend to use him as their primary kick returner. Among a competitive group of receivers, Cooper’s versatility stands out.

“That’s the goal,” Cooper said. “I want the coach to be comfortable putting me anywhere on the field, knowing I can make a play. I can make plays outside, special teams, kick return, just being on the field making a play.”

Cooper hopes for a smoother preseason, which the Rams begin Saturday with a home game against Dallas.

Last season, Cooper caught a touchdown pass in the second preseason game, but the following week, he injured his shoulder and was out of action for six weeks. Cooper eventually played his way up the depth chart. He started three of the Rams’ final five games and had 10 of his 14 catches during the season’s final month.

“It was hard,” Cooper said. “Everything was going smooth, going well, and then you get hurt and everything goes downhill and you have to re-start the process. The other guys had been grinding and working all year, so I didn’t expect to just come back and jump in there. I’m just ready to come back this year and prove myself.”

New addition

The Rams on Thursday signed kicker Travis Coons, who last was in the NFL in 2015 with Cleveland. Coach Sean McVay said there’s nothing wrong with kicker Greg Zuerlein, but that Coons ( of Alta Loma) would kick and punt in the second half against the Cowboys.

Rich Hammond was a high school senior when the Rams left town in 1995, and now he's their beat writer for the Southern California News Group. A native of L.A., Rich broke in at the Daily Breeze as a college freshman and also has covered USC, the Kings, the Lakers and the Dodgers. He still loves sports and telling stories. Don't take the sarcastic tweets too seriously.

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